Liz Doles

Photographer

Nepal Diary

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Glue is the drug of choice for ...eep on the streets of Katmandu.

Glue is the drug of choice for the estimated four hundred children who sleep on the streets of Katmandu.

Some children are in orphanages.

Nepal is the fourteenth poorest...g but the first circle of Hell?

Nepal is the fourteenth poorest country in the world. Soon after I arrived here, I had a date with a man who told me he had been warned that very morning to "watch out for Shiva snake goddesses who suck the spirit of a man out of him by kissing him." At four in the morning, as the power often rationed only in the dead of night, suddenly came on, I lay under clouds of morbidity and culture shock. Could the place on earth closest to Heaven be nothing but the first circle of Hell?

Morning was better. At dawn, th...Crushing color, fabulous filth.

Morning was better. At dawn, the shopkeepers in the tourist ghetto of Thamel splash water onto the asphalt streets and clear away the exhaust, dust, litter, expectorate, plastic bags, wooden cartons, animal feces and human puke, caressing with brooms the trampled down pelt of the earth, finishing nighttime's job of undoing the damage done in daylight. In India, in Nepal, ordinary women in extraordinarinarily brilliant dress walk through fields carrying caked manure and sweep dusty, stinking streets coated with a patina of grime. Crushing color, fabulous filth.

On the way to Nepal, I stayed i...y five minutes from here."

On the way to Nepal, I stayed in India to see the Taj Mahal. The fellow who drove me from Delhi to the Taj asked, â€œWould you mind, mum, a five minute detour. Only five minutes. To see my wife and baby. Only five minutes from here."

We turned off the highway and o...never ending fields of mustard.

We turned off the highway and onto roads that ran through never ending fields of mustard.

Stopping at a light, passengers in another car.

Three hours later we came to hi...elped their father on the farm.

Three hours later we came to his village and home. Five generations lived under one roof. Three brothers had married three sisters and they all helped their father on the farm.

Mother-in-law, mother and child.

Great-grandmother, grandmother and mother.

Centuries old crossroads in the heart of Katmandu . . .

banana leaves . . .

spices.

Holy men allow you to take a picture for a donation.

When I offered him rupees, he demanded Euros.

Katmandu street musicians.

Buddha Park.

Rooftops behind the Boudinath stupa.

As soon as I saw the robinâ€™s ...inter sunlight, I fell in love.

As soon as I saw the robinâ€™s egg blue walls and crimson doors of the monastery classroom, the lithe, adolescent monks draped in maroon, their brown faces and cropped black tonsures, seated erect at benches that extended in parallel rows all the way to the back of the room, and all of it drenched in winter sunlight, I fell in love.

What do I teach these students?...ich they sit in rows identical.

What do I teach these students? There are no textbooks in the bare classroom, only four or five molded plastic displays of North American vegetables, European farm animals and the times tables.Their robes are nearly identical, their few pencils and pencil tins and tiny plastic sharpeners identical, the benches at which they sit in rows identical.

Twice a day, they scoop the sam...ls, they wash and sleep as one.

Twice a day, they scoop the same daal bhat with their fingers from identical bowls, they wash and sleep as one.

I bought textbooks and workbook...s of each student as the fruit.

I bought textbooks and workbooks. I made a class "tree" with photos of each student as the fruit.

Within two days, all the photos were stripped off the paper tree.

Sometimes I caught a glimpse of...their identical blue notebooks.

Sometimes I caught a glimpse of one tucked into one of their identical blue notebooks.

A nun asked to have her portrai...e teacher for Tibetan language.

A nun asked to have her portrait taken and so did the teacher for Tibetan language.

They told me they all loved pro...e magazines were ever received.

They told me they all loved pro wrestling. When I got home, I sent a stack of WWF magazines, but I'm not sure the magazines were ever received.

The children have been taught b... ending series of fresh starts.

The children have been taught by memorization and rote. I would imagine each volunteer goes over the same material in a never ending series of fresh starts.

Some of the boys leave the mona...fter receiving their education.

Some of the boys leave the monastery after receiving their education.

Others stay in religious life.

Lhosar, the Tibetan New Year, was celebrated in February.

He lectured to us on the meaning of Lhosar.

A mendicant monk at Boudinath Stupa.

Two monks on the street in Boudinath.

Before I left Nepal, I visited Bhaktapur, once a seat of power.

Old friends loiter in Durbar Square.

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Thumbnail of Glue is the drug of choice for t_leep on the streets of Katmandu.

Thumbnail of Some children are in orphanages.

Thumbnail of Nepal is the fourteenth poorest _ng but the first circle of Hell?

Thumbnail of Morning was better. At dawn, the_ Crushing color, fabulous filth.

Thumbnail of On the way to Nepal, I stayed in_ly five minutes from here."

Thumbnail of We turned off the highway and on_ never ending fields of mustard.

Thumbnail of Stopping at a light, passengers in another car.

Thumbnail of Three hours later we came to his_helped their father on the farm.

Thumbnail of Mother-in-law, mother and child.

Thumbnail of Great-grandmother, grandmother and mother.

Thumbnail of Centuries old crossroads in the heart of Katmandu . . .

Thumbnail of Holy men allow you to take a picture for a donation.

Thumbnail of When I offered him rupees, he demanded Euros.

Thumbnail of Rooftops behind the Boudinath stupa.

Thumbnail of As soon as I saw the robinâ€™s e_winter sunlight, I fell in love.

Thumbnail of What do I teach these students? _hich they sit in rows identical.

Thumbnail of Twice a day, they scoop the same_wls, they wash and sleep as one.

Thumbnail of I bought textbooks and workbooks_os of each student as the fruit.

Thumbnail of Within two days, all the photos were stripped off the paper tree.

Thumbnail of Sometimes I caught a glimpse of _ their identical blue notebooks.

Thumbnail of A nun asked to have her portrait_he teacher for Tibetan language.

Thumbnail of They told me they all loved pro _he magazines were ever received.

Thumbnail of The children have been taught by_r ending series of fresh starts.

Thumbnail of Some of the boys leave the monas_after receiving their education.

Thumbnail of Others stay in religious life.

Thumbnail of Lhosar, the Tibetan New Year, was celebrated in February.

Thumbnail of He lectured to us on the meaning of Lhosar.

Thumbnail of A mendicant monk at Boudinath Stupa.

Thumbnail of Two monks on the street in Boudinath.

Thumbnail of Before I left Nepal, I visited Bhaktapur, once a seat of power.

Thumbnail of Old friends loiter in Durbar Square.

Public Project

Nepal Diary

Updated Jul 2010

Topics Art, Travel

2008

Two friends died right after the New Year. Around Valentine's Day, I lost my mother. In the fall, my daughter left home at the same time I realized that my romance had no future.The quiet in my apartment was deafening and the noise in my head was soundless. What could I do? On impulse I went on line and signed up as a volunteer to teach English as a Second Language for a month in a monastery in Katmandu. These are some of the people I met and a few of the things I saw.

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